Cataclean Plato Racing stunned the paddock on its first competitive Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) appearance this afternoon, winning the inaugural 'Race for Pole' at Donington Park.
The brand-new Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloons of Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan showed encouraging pace on their free practice debuts earlier in the day, before Dan placed his number 32 machine in P3 on the grid for the first-ever 'Race for Pole' – a 13-lap shootout to decide the polesitter for Sunday's first BTCC race. Adam was slightly further back on the grid in P10.
Dan's race pace in Leicestershire was solid as he pushed to stay in contact with Tom Ingram who hit the front in his Hyundai i30. However, despite finishing the race first on the road, Ingram was hit with a 5-second time penalty afterwards.
That handed Dan victory by 0.024s after the times were adjusted – giving Cataclean Plato Racing a debut victory at its first-ever BTCC event.
"It's crazy," Dan reflected immediately after the race. "It's been a long winter and it's been a challenge at times, but we've got a great product. The guys at Cataclean Plato Racing have done an extraordinary job."
Adam also drove a strong 'Race for Pole', bringing his number 33 machine home in an encouraging P7 and ensuring both Cataclean Plato Racing cars saw the chequered flag comfortably inside the top-ten.
The first BTCC race of the new season is scheduled to start at 11.30 tomorrow, before race 2 goes green at 14.40 and race 3 gets underway at 17.30.